Three artisanal ice molds to elevate your mixology game

Three artisanal ice molds to elevate your mixology game

Laura PearsonChicago Tribune

Ice, ice baby: Elevate your party cocktails with handcrafted cubes.

We'll admit to not totally getting the "artisanal ice" trend. Maybe you've been at a fancy bar and ordered a drink on the rocks, only to get a lowball glass containing a few splashes of liquor and a single ice cube roughly the size of the iceberg that sank the Titanic.

There's a point to these XXL ice cubes and spheres, of course. Popular among mixologists, "craft" or "artisanal" ice melts more slowly than ordinary ice cubes, yielding less dilution and a cocktail that stays cooler longer. Plus, it's aesthetically pleasing. But our skepticism creeps up when a Washington, D.C., restaurant starts charging $1 per handcrafted cube, and companies like Glace Luxury sell bags of 50 "individually carved and designed" ice cubes for $325.

Why not try a craft ice mold at home instead? It's the perfect thing to elevate party cocktails, and you won't even charge your friends or family for the added fanciness (cause you're cool like that). There are many varieties on the market, but here are three good places to start:

Colossal Cube Molds by Tovolo

These leak-free, dishwasher-safe ice cube molds — which come in sets of two — produce huge 2.25-inch cubes that are ideal for scotch, whiskey or mixed cocktails. They're flexible and stack easily in the freezer, and the silicone cap creates a nice, tight seal — as long as you don't fill the molds past the water line. (This causes the cap to pop up, creating a less-than-perfect cube.) We used filtered water in testing this product, but some users suggest trying distilled water or boiling filtered water to achieve clearer results. Make your monster cubes even more impressive by adding mint leaves, berries or even edible flowers before freezing.

This soft plastic, dishwasher-safe tray creates four 2-inch spheres and sits sturdily in the freezer — so no spillage. You might want to use a funnel to fill the cavities, however, so you don't spill before the tray even gets to the freezer! Again, be mindful of the water-fill line, as it can be difficult to free your ice spheres if you use too much water, or they can be irregularly shaped if you use too little. Also, use care in general when releasing the spherical ice, as the plastic can break. During warm-weather months, we plan to use this tray for coffee-flavored spheres to add to iced coffee or mochas.

Wintersmith's Ice Baller, which yields a single 2.36-inch sphere, is a bit more technical. You pour water into a silicone ice mold that fits into a stainless steel cup. Follow the advice to spread a natural, neutral-tasting cooking oil, like canola or safflower, inside the silicone rubber cup before freezing, so that the parts don't stick together. It takes a few tries to get the hang of prying out the ice ball, but once you do, you'll end up with a crystal clear sphere that is bound to impress. A unique feature of the ice baller is that it can be filled with tap water due to (patent-pending) "directional freezing" that removes and isolates the air bubbles and impurities. This also means the sphere is less prone to break in your drink. If you'd want to make multiple spheres, this mold won't be super helpful, but it's a pretty pro choice for aspiring home mixologists.